Freed hostages Fernando Marman and Noberto Har said after their rescue that they were held by a family in a private home in Rafah.

Their relatives added that the two men prepared food for the family who held them but they themselves ate almost nothing but pita and white cheese and lost a large amount of weight. “They were hungry for days,” they said.

They also did not receive medical care while in captivity despite the fact that Louis, 70, has diabetes and high blood pressure and was taking numerous medications on a daily basis before he was abducted. He also used a hearing aid and wore glasses and did not have either available to him during captivity.

Fernando and Louis were sound asleep when the Israeli security forces forced their way in and a shootout began – and until they understood that they were in the hands of the IDF – “they were sure they were going to die,” their relatives said.

Their rescue was a complete surprise. They hadn’t seen the news the whole time they were in captivity except for one time that they saw Al Jazeera. But they were aware of the date of each passing day and Louis remembered the dates of all his children and grandchildren.

After the forces broke into the apartment where the hostages were being held, they called out to them in Hebrew: “We came to rescue you, you’re going home.”

As they brought the hostages out of the apartment, one of the Shin Bet operatives noticed that Louis was barefoot. He picked him up and carried him so he wouldn’t get cut from the glass on the floor. He then took off his shoes and tied them on Louis. The shoes went with Louis to Tel HaShomer and the operative finished the operation without his shoes.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)